qaya thoughts

38:1-8 Hezekiah hears the prophet’s warning but does not accept it at face value. Instead he wrestles with the Lord in prayer and tears. The prophet returns with a message of hope. So prophetic messages are not to be taken as absolute, God can be persuaded to change his mind if we turn to him. He confirms his message to Hezekiah with a miraculous sign.

38:9-14 Hezekiah reports his despair at Isaiah’s first message, ending with his appeal to God.

38:15-22 Hezekiah’s response to his healing. He sees God’s wonderful activity. He also sees how his illness was for his own benefit, to bring him back from sinful ways to trust in God. He promises to walk more faithfully in future, and to continue to praise God for the rest of his life.

39:1-4 But Hezekiah’s illness has not taught him great wisdom. He fails to consult with Isaiah about Marduk-Baladan until after the event, but shows off all his treasures, showing his vanity and pride.

39:5-8 Another message of judgment from Isaiah, about the future Babylonian exile. Hezekiah’s response is astonishingly selfish: no attempt this time to change God’s mind in prayer, because this does not involve him personally.

This rather delayed final post brings to an end my thoughts on the first half (actually a little more than half) of Isaiah. I intend to continue the series through the great prophetic chapters which complete the book, but maybe after a short break.

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37:14-20 Hezekiah takes the new threat seriously and brings it to the Lord. We see how he perhaps for the first time (even Isaiah has not done this yet) recognises that the Lord is not just a national god but is the one true God, unlike the others who are mere idols, and that he has power to deliver his people.

37:21-25 Isaiah brings the Lord’s response, which is his response to all blasphemous threats against his people. The faithful ones respond by despising and mocking the threat. They know that the Lord simply cannot allow those who count themselves above him in this way to get away with it.

37:26-29 The enemy’s boasted conquests are in fact what the Lord planned. He is in control of all that has happened and will happen. And now because of the enemy’s insolence he will be sent home.

37:30-35 The message for Hezekiah suggests that deliverance will not be immediate. For two years God’s people need to be inactive, trusting in the Lord to provide for them. Only in the third year will they be able to resume normal life. But then they will be firmly rooted again and fruitful, a new faithful people will appear. And the Lord assures Hezekiah that the enemy will have no success, will not be able to touch the Lord’s holy city at all.

37:36-38 And everything takes place as prophesied.

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36:1-10 The people of God under their faithful leader Hezekiah face a serious threat from the greatest world power of their day. It is unclear how far at this point they are relying on the alternative power of Egypt and how far on God. The field commander is right to mock reliance on Egypt. But when he mocks reliance on God, he doesn’t know what he is talking about. Hezekiah’s removal of idolatrous altars seems stupid to him, but it is the way of obedience to God. The field commander is simply lying when he blasphemously claims the Lord sent him.

36:11-17 Of course Hezekiah can’t save the people, but the Lord can. The field commander’s promises seem superficially attractive, but they have a sting in the tail: exile and bondage.

36:18-22 The field commander simply has no idea that the Lord is different from the gods of all these other nations. He makes a direct challenge to the Lord to demonstrate this difference.

37:1-4 Hezekiah’s response is right, to turn to the Lord. But he is also desperate and doesn’t show a lot of faith.

37:5-7 But the Lord answers through Isaiah with a message of hope: God will respond to the blasphemy and send the enemy away.

37:8-13 And it happens … at least the first part for now. The enemy withdraws. The renewed threats in the letter now seem rather hollow.

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34:1-4 A terrifying prophecy of the Lord’s final judgment on all nations - or at least on their armies, and on their leaders symbolised by the stars, who will all fall dead.

34:5-15 Edom is put forward as just one example of such a nation, and how it will be destroyed. The blood is not that of the ordinary people, but of animals representing their prosperity, and of wild beasts representing their leadership. These will all be judged to uphold the cause of God’s faithful people. The result will be complete desolation. Especially their riches and what they trusted in will become deserted and overgrown, homes for wild animals representing chaos and disorder.

34:16-17 But, perhaps oddly, even from among the disorder God brings order, symbolised by the wild animals having mates and portions. For God’s Spirit is at work even there …

35:1-7 … with the result that the desert will burst into bloom, demonstrating God’s glory. This will encourage the faithful remnant to trust God to act, to bring their full salvation. And he will do so. The restoration of the desert into fertile land will also bring about restoration and healing of the people.

35:8-10 Through the desert there will be a highway, a safe road, for the Lord’s people whom he is rescuing and bringing back to joy in Zion, his restored and revived church.

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33:1-6 The proud enemy will no longer be able to stand, but will be scattered as soon as the Lord acts. He does this in response to his people’s prayer for strength and deliverance. The Lord fills Zion, his faithful people, with his justice and righteousness and provides a sure foundation for them, as they fear him.

33:7-12 The apostate people have made an agreement with outsiders but it has been broken. The apostates mourn because they have put their trust in this agreement but its failure has resulted in an end to normal life. But what they conceived and gave birth to is chaff which will be burned to nothing as soon as the Lord arises and acts.

33:13-16 Everyone, even the sinners and apostates, see God at work and acknowledge his power, and ask how to escape. The answer is that they must live a righteous life; if they do, they will be provided for and live in safety on God’s mountain.

33:19-24 These righteous people will see God’s appointed ruler and a broad land. They will remember the oppressors but see them no more. Instead they will see the faithful Zion in peace and stability, with broad rivers symbolising peace and prosperity, and no warships on them, no need to prepare their own rigging for war. The Lord will be their ruler and deliverer, and there will be no more sickness or guilt there.

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32:1-8 In the faithful church (31:9) there will be righteous and just rulers who will protect those who look to them for security. Then the prophets will be able to see and hear clearly, will understand, and will speak out clearly without fear. People will listen to them and no longer to the folly of those they previously counted noble, who are in fact ungodly, teachers of error, without concern for the poor and needy. But they will no longer be respected, instead those who make noble plans and deeds will stand.

32:9-13 But before this complacency has to be dealt with. Women who feel secure in their merry city will be brought to mourning as their city is deserted and their income dries up.

32:14-20 This city, even the church, will be abandoned and deserted until the time when God pours out his Spirit. Then there will be the true fruit of righteousness and through it genuine security, that even if disaster like hail comes God will bless his people in every way.

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30:1-7 Woe to the church which forms an alliance with worldly powers, which is not God’s plan. Such an alliance will not help, it will bring only shame and disgrace.

30:8-14 Woe to those who reject the prophetic word, the Lord’s instruction for them, who insist on pleasantries but reject anything challenging. The consequence of this will be that apparent security will be completely destroyed without warning, like a collapsing wall.

30:15-18 The Lord longs for his people to wait for him in repentance and quietness. Instead they insist on frenetic activity, which will have disastrous results.

30:19-26 The Lord will bring affliction to his faithful people in Zion, because he knows that will lead them to cry to him for help. And then he will hurry to answer them. He will provide the teachers they need and guide them in every step. They will then realise how disgusting their idolatry was and decisively turn away from it. Then God will bring great blessing on their land. Even as the towers fall, the sudden destruction of those who reject God’s message, there will be streams of water symbolising God’s blessing in every place where he is lifted high. His light will shine brightly, and he will bring healing to his people.

30:27-33 The streams of blessing for the repentant will be for the wicked a destructive torrent which will sweep them away. His people will celebrate as they see God acting to shatter their enemies.

31:1-3 Any help sought from “Egypt” is mortal flesh and cannot compete with the power the Lord will bring, which will destroy both the worldly powers asked to help and the apostate church seeking help.

31:4-5 A comical picture of shepherds, representing apostate church leaders, trying to frighten away a great lion, God himself. But he cannot be disturbed by them, he will do his work of devouring his prey but also protecting his faithful people.

31:6-9 Another call to repentance, and a reminder that the real power of God found in his faithful church can and will destroy even the most powerful enemy.

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29:1-8 The Lord will bring low his faithful church. It will continue to function but under siege and with a voice like a whisper. But then suddenly the day will come when the besieging enemies disappear.

29:9-16 This sudden change will be unexpected because even among the faithful the Lord has befuddled the prophets and there is no one to interpret the prophetic message. This is because even those who honour God have hearts far from him, relying instead on human wisdom and setting themselves up as judges of what God has done and should do.

29:17-24 When the day of victory comes there will be miracles and the needy ones will be provided for, oppression will end, so will shame. The restored people in the church will acknowledge God as holy and learn from him.

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28:1-6 Woe to the leader and the leadership structures of the apostate church, who pride themselves in glory which is fading. The Lord will send someone who will destroy it all, the glory will be trodden underfoot and swallowed up. Instead the Lord himself will take this place of glory, and will rule with justice and strength.

28:7-13 The wine and beer here symbolise the spirit of the age, which befuddles the teachers of this apostate church, so they get everything wrong and their teaching comes out like meaningless baby talk. God responds in judgment by speaking to them, who wouldn’t listen when he spoke in clear words, with meaningless words - the sign of tongues (1 Corinthians 14:21).

28:14-22 Contrasting with this apostate church of Ephraim is that of Jerusalem which prides itself on its doctrine and its assurance, but in fact this is based on a lie. God will come and destroy this lie, prove the assurance to be false leading to terror, the sheer frustration of the image of v.20. To these people this new work of God will seem strange and alien, but it will be the establishment in the true Zion of his immovable cornerstone, on which a new building, a true church, will be built using the standards of justice and righteousness.

28:23-29 A sudden shift to agricultural metaphors. The point here is that God works in different ways at different times (seasons) and places (fields), but all as part of his one wonderful plan.

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Sorry that there has been an interruption to this series. I am starting again, but only rather briefly today.

26:1-6 A tale of two cities - the old lofty one trampled down, a new strong one from God open to all his righteous people.  A picture of the old proud church being replaced by a new faithful one.

26:7-11 Then two peoples, God’s laws bring a division between them.

26:12-21 Old oppressive rulers are punished and die, despite their agony they are not reborn. But God’s faithful ones will rise even from the dead.

27:1-5 God is not angry with his people but offers them refuge.

27:6-13 Israel, symbolising God’s faithful people, will not be punished like her enemies. Yes, she will be chastened for the atonement of her sin. And she will have to accept the ruin of her proud and idolatrous structures. But finally she will be gathered from exile to worship God on the true holy mountain.

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